A temporary patient is someone who needs to register with the practice temporarily who cannot access their own GP Practice. You can register as a temporary resident with a GP in England if you are in the area for longer than 24 hours but less than three months. Generally if your own GP Practice is within a 50 mile radius we would expect you to attend there unless the issue is an emergency (see immediately necessary section below).
Immediately Necessary Treatment Patients
This is for patients in the area who cannot attend their normal GP Practice and need to receive emergency treatment from the local GP practice, those who cannot travel to their local GP. This registration is only for 14 days. After 14 days you will need to go back to your own GP, register as a temporary or permanent patient. Immediately necessary patients will not normally need ID and treatment will be for something the GP can deal with on a one-off occasion
Non-urgent advice:
Please note this is not for ongoing issues.
Registering as a Temporary patient
Patients who are registering as a temporary patient should ideally have ID with them and the following information:
- details of any medical conditions they have
- details of medical conditions they’ve had in the past
- the name of any medicines they’re currently taking
- details of anything they’re allergic to
- contact details for your permanent or previous GP – essential
Non-urgent advice:
It may be necessary to get a medical summary from the current GP Practice before you are seen by the GP, especially if requesting medication.
It is not possible to do certain tasks when you are registered as a ‘temporary’ patient, and certain services locally will only see patients who are residing in the area, therefore patients should always be advised to see their own registered GP where possible; temporary patients should always be aware that our ability to treat your issues may be limited to avoid disappointment further down the line.
Issues with Temporary Patient Registration
Practices do not have to accept you as a temporary patient although they do have an obligation to offer emergency treatment. You cannot register as a temporary patient at a practice in the town or area where you are already registered.
Temporary patient registration falls under the normal ‘Patient Registration’ protocols and while GPs cannot refuse to register patients without good cause, they can sign-post or offer alternatives and document the reasoning behind it.
Download the Temporary Resident Registration Form
To download our temporary registration form please click the button below.
Download Form